Joan Henrietta Collins OBE (born 23 May 1933) is a Golden Globe Award winning British actress and bestselling author.
Collins was born in London to Joseph William "Will" Collins (a South African Jewish talent agent, 1902-88) and Elsa Bessant (a British mother, 1906-1962). Her father enjoyed a successful career and his clients included Shirley Bassey, The Beatles and Tom Jones. She has one sister, the author Jackie Collins, and a brother, Bill Collins. She was educated at the Francis Holland School and then trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) with actors such as Sir Roger Moore and Sir Michael Caine.
Collins` childhood was spent in and around Maida Vale and was, according to Collins, an idyllic one with plenty of love, comfort and security. However her father was also a strict disciplinarian and exerted a strong hold over her subservient mother who overlooked his philandering. Elsa was said to be in awe and at the total behest of her husband, an attitude which came to irritate her daughters who sought to rebel against it. Collins` has said of her father that `He was detached, cold, hard, critical, difficult, acerbic and everyone had to please him.` He himself said `I love my daughters but I am not the kind of parents who deludes himself that his children are superior to everyone else`s. I did not think of them as outstanding in any way.` Collins has attributed much of her behaviour in later life as a desire to prove herself to a father figure. As an uninhibited and liberated young lady, she pursued men who seemed immune to her charms, then when they succumbed they would be discarded.
At the age of 17 Collins was signed to the J. Arthur Rank Film Company, a highly profitable British studio and charm school.
Early career:
In 1951, she made her feature debut as a beauty contest entrant in Lady Godiva Rides Again and in 1952 she appeared in the film I Believe in You based on the book Court Circular by Sewell Stokes. In the early 1950s, she did double duty by posing for pin-up photos and acting in B-movies in Britain. After mild success, she was signed by 20th Century Fox in 1954 as their answer to Elizabeth Taylor.
After losing such high-profile roles as Cleopatra (Collins was cast when Elizabeth Taylor fell ill, then let go upon Taylor`s recovery), Collins continued to work in films and occasionally in television.
Her notable guest appearances on American TV during the 1960s included Batman, Mission: Impossible, Police Woman, and the now widely popular Star Trek episode "The City on the Edge of Forever".
In the 1970s, Collins starred in the film versions of her sister Jackie Collins` racy novels The Stud and The Bitch, appearing nude in both. The films were smash hits in England, becoming the most profitable films since the James Bond series.
At the time Joan took the role in The Stud her career was flagging somewhat and the fact that its revival was attributable to her appearing in a film of her sister`s book would be a cause of considerable friction between the two. Jackie felt that Joan should have acknowledged more the part she played in her renewed success, but Joan was unprepared to do this.
[edit] Dynasty
In the 1980s, Collins` was offered a role in the then-struggling prime time TV soap opera Dynasty (1981 - 1989) by producer Aaron Spelling. In Dynasty, which was created by Richard & Esther Shapiro, Collins was hired to play the role of tycoon Blake Carrington`s vengeful ex-wife, Alexis.
The role successfully relaunched Collins as a powerful sex symbol and icon of independence in her 50s. Her performance helped the struggling show and it ultimately became a ratings hit, rivaling Dallas. In 1985, Dynasty was the #1 show in the US, and Collins also went on to become the highest-paid actress on television at the time. She arguably became the most celebrated television star of the 1980s and her character, Alexis, perhaps the most infamous clotheshorse and villainess of the decade. Dynasty was shown in more than 80 countries and is still internationally syndicated.
With Dynasty at the height of its success, Collins also began producing and starred in two successful CBS mini-series, Sins and Monte Carlo. She also appeared on the cover of and in a twelve page layout shot by George Hurrell for Playboy magazine at the age of 50 (in a fishnet body stocking) to further establish herself as a sex symbol.
In Aaron Spelling`s final press interview he said of Collins: "We didn`t write Joan Collins. She played Joan Collins. Am I right? We wrote a character, but the character could have been played by 50 people and 49 of them would have failed. She made it work."
[edit] Later career
After the end of Dynasty in 1989, Collins worked less frequently, making guest star appearances on series such as Roseanne, The Nanny and Will & Grace while dabbling in films like Decadence and A Midwinter`s Tale in the mid 1990s.
In 1992, Joan she made

High School

Frances Holland School, London, England

University

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, London, England (dropped out)

Official Websites

www.joancollins.net

Full Name at Birth

Joan Henrietta Collins

Page Display = 2 (Legacy)

1

Brand Endorsement

Lux soap

Friend

Arlene Dahl

Associated People

Bob Hope

Occupation Text

Actress, author and columnist

Age

82

Wikipedia Text

Dame Joan Henrietta Collins, DBE (born 23 May 1933) is an English actress, author and columnist. Born in Paddington, west London and brought up in Maida Vale, Collins grew up during the Second World War. After making her stage debut in A Doll's House at the age of 9, she was trained as an actress at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London. After eighteen months at the drama school, she was signed to an exclusive contract by the Rank Organisation and appeared in various British films.

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